2015, Issue 2
March 31, 2015
HARVEY CANAL INDUSTRI AL ASSOCI ATION
The Communique
HCIA Career Exploration Tour
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
HCIA Career Exploration
1
From the President
1
Government & Environmental 2
Special Events
3
Crawfish Sponsors
3
Membership
3
Café Hope
3
Office Space Rental
4
April 17, 2015 is our first Career Exploration Tour for select Jefferson Parish High
School juniors and seniors. Workforce committee members will board a bus with
students and travel to Host Businesses along the Harvey Canal. The students will
be given a tour of the facility, an overview of the business, the types of jobs
available, and the level of training/certification that is required for employment.
Our Workforce Committee is excited about this new opportunity for the students
and our members. Our goal is to bring awareness to students about the businesses
and career opportunities that exist along the Harvey Canal. This program also
allows the Host Company(s) a time to introduce themselves to the future
workforce of the industry.
Be a part of this Workforce Program. Contact HCIA today!
Chair: Dr. Larissa Littleton-Steib, [email protected]
UPCOMING DATES
April 10 – Crawfish Boil
April 16 – Executive Board
NEW time, 8:00 am
April 17 – Career Exploration
Tour along corridor
May 7 – Member Lunch
TBA (check web)
May 19 – HCIA Legislature
Day, Baton Rouge
*HCIA office unless other
wise noted.
From your HCIA President
In our last Communique newsletter, we explained that HCIA would provide a particular
focus on workforce development in 2015. At our February meeting, Jerry Bologna,
Executive Director of JEDCO, briefed our membership on the mission of JEDCO and their
Workforce Solutions Programs. He also provided an update of economic developments, and
expansions projected for our area.
On April 17th, our Workforce Development Committee led by Larissa Littleton-Steib will be
conducting a Career Exploration Tour. Special thanks to our member companies for
volunteering to showcase their businesses and participation in this important event.
At our March meeting, Sandy Sanders, Executive Director of the Plaquemine Parish Port
Authority briefed our membership on the Port’s Mission, targeted expansions, and the
projected economic impact. He shared the upcoming opportunities resulting from the
widening of the Panama Canal and emphasized the critical impact of rail, road, and
waterway improvements to support the port. In particular, he explained that the Harvey
Canal Corridor will be an integral part of that expansion. In conclusion, he stated that the
success of the port will be measured by the ability of the region to transport products to and
from the port in an efficient and expedient manner. (Continued on page 2)
The Communique
Page 2
HCIA President, continued
Special Note:
The Governor
canceled the May 8
date. A new
Gubernatorial
Event is being
planned for June.
Visit our website
for updates.
Standing
Committee
Meetings are open
to all HCIA
members:
Special Events has
a meeting on April
8 at noon.
Volunteers are
needed for set up
& cleanup for
April 10 event.
Workforce has a
meeting on April 9
at 8:30 a.m. in the
HCIA office.
Infrastructure has
a meeting on April
23 at noon in the
HCIA office.
Government &
Environmental
meets on dates
that are convenient
to the officials.
Contact the office
for upcoming
dates.
The Annual Westbank
Governor’s Luncheon, was
originally scheduled for May
8, 2015. However, Governor
Jindal had to cancel and we
are now working toward
replacing this Annual
Luncheon with another
dynamic event to be held
sometime in June 2015.
Our business community is
staying focused on many
legislative issues such as:
internet sales tax; reduction
of personal income tax; and
tax legislation involving the
film industry. In addition,
we are also monitoring crime
legislation, including the
utilization of Gaming and
Lottery revenue, to fund the
State Police in the French
Quarter, and proposed
sentencing reform.
Thank you for your
involvement and interest in
HCIA. I hope to see you
at the Annual Crawfish Boil
on April 10th.
Chris Breaux
HCIA President
GOVERNMENT & ENVIRONMENTAL
The Government and
Environmental Committee
(G&E) has been busy on
both fronts this year. We
have formed a strong
committee with great
members. Here are some
recent activities:
Legislative Session
As most of you already know,
this year’s legislative session
is going to be a tough one
with a deficit of 1.2 to 1.5
billion dollars. Our committee
has been trying to stay
informed and is participating
in the conversation with
local leaders. G&E
committee, HCIA past
presidents and the HCIA
board met with Louisiana
Senator John Alario
this month at the HCIA office.
Senator Alario, the senate
president, said that this will
be one of the toughest
sessions he has been in as a
state legislator.
HCIA attended the Jefferson
Parish Green Book session
in March, where Jefferson
Parish outlined their priorities
for this legislative session.
The HCIA hopes to see the
Peter’s Road Extension
continue to be funded as a
top priority, and we will also
continue to monitor other
issues such as potential
education and healthcare
cuts. HCIA is also going to
Baton Rouge on May 19th to
present our ideas during our
Day at the Legislature. Any
HCIA member is welcome to
attend, but we need to RSVP
with a head count so please
contact the office if you are
interested in attending.
As always, please notify us if
you see any specific bills that
may affect the HCIA
members.
Jefferson Parish
Councilman-at-large Chris
Roberts graciously sat with
our committee in February to
go over the opportunities for
the future of Jefferson
Parish. He spoke at length
on the West Jefferson
hospital Lease and some
possible future uses of the
lease proceeds. We
appreciated his time working
on the lease agreement and
look forward to meeting with
him again on other matters.
We plan to invite other
Jefferson Parish Officials to
these informal roundtable
discussions as we continue
to build our relationships and
stay aware of key items that
involve HCIA members.
LDEQ Inspections
Our committee was able to
have a meeting with
Louisiana Department of
Environmental Quality
(LDEQ) about their upcoming
inspections for businesses
along the Harvey Canal and
Engineers Road. LDEQ
came to HCIA office and
explained the need for these
inspections and what a
business should expect when
they visit a location.
(Continued on page 4)
The Communique
Page 3
Special Events – CRAWFISH BOIL
Like the Energizer Bunny, The Special Events Committee just keeps going and going. The
Crawfish Boil is on the front burner right now.
April 10, 2015
HCIA Crawfish Boil
We have DAUL INSURANCE and GULF COAST BANK as our presenting Title sponsors!
The CRAWFISH BOIL is Friday, April 10, 2015. The mudbugs get tossed in the boiling pot right
here under the beautiful oaks at the Grefer House (HCIA Home). There’s live music, drinks and
over 200 friends to visit. The doors open at 4:00 p.m.; the music stops at 7:00 p.m. We hope you
can join us!
See the website for details. www.harveycanal.org
Tickets are $25 in advance.
Chair: Stephen Faucheaux
[email protected]
MEMBERSHIP
th
The major upcoming event is the Career Exploration Tour on April 17 . I encourage the
membership of the HCIA to take a moment out of their morning to either attend the tour or meet us
for lunch at West Jefferson Medical Center (RSVP required). We are very pleased to have
Superior Energy Services, National Oilwell Varco and WJMC open their doors to these
students. You just might get a charge out of seeing the reactions of the students to the
opportunities in their own backyard. Your involvement will help in emphasizing not only the
opportunities that are here and important to us, but that we want these students to become a part
of this community.
How does this impact Membership recruitment? The Career Exploration Tour adds value to your
membership. It is a relevant effort. I want you to know that we look forward to growing the tour
and adding corporate participants that are current and future members of the HCIA.
Chair: Ben Bourgeois
[email protected]
Café Hope Cooking up Great Food and Bright Futures!!
Café Hope is both a program for at-risk youth and a fully functioning local restaurant.
Have you been to Café Hope? If not, Café Hope’s Board of Directors, students and its
staff invite you to stop in to "feed your hunger and your soul." Located in Marrero and just
10 minutes from the New Orleans Central Business District, Café Hope can be easily
found at 1101 Barataria Boulevard on the historic Hope Haven campus.
Our task is to monitor area training programs and to engage in activities that promote
the development of suitably trained work force for our members.
Café Hope is a sixteen week program. The first four weeks in the program are spent in
"Seeds to Success" where students participate in Life Skills training and other classes
including culinary, financial literacy, nutrition, computer skills and more. Students
also receive six weeks of training in the Café Hope Kitchen with 3 chefs having more
than 30 years of combined work experience and six weeks of training in the Café Hope
Dining Room. Café Hope is open on Tuesdays thru Fridays for lunch from 11 am to 2
pm and on Friday nights from 6pm to 9pm. On Friday nights, patrons can enjoy a Full
Menu and the ability to BYOB. Reservations are strongly recommended for
(Continued on page 4)
Platinum Sponsors:
Allfax Specialties
A-1 Appliance
Banner Chevrolet
Boomtown Casino
Dufrene Surveying
Edward Jones Invest.
Eustis Insurance
Fifth District Savings
Gucci1 Field Services
IberiaBank
Leson Chevrolet
Marrero Land & Impr
Marsiglia Construction
Slattery Marino Roberts
Westbank Optimist Club
WorkBoat
The Communique
Harvey Canal Industrial Association
111 Grefer Lane
Harvey, LA 70058
Mail to:
The voice of the business
community since 1946.
Continued from page 3 – CAFÉ HOPE
Phone: 504-367-1721
Fax: 504-367-8917
E: [email protected]
We’re on the Web!
www.harveycanal.org
Facebook
LinkedIn
Twitter
OFFICE SPACE
Available @ HCIA
We are offering the
private office with
restroom; share
the conference room
and kitchen space. Utilities
are included!
Contact Lisa for more
Details. 367-1721
the Friday Night dinners. If you visit Café Hope, you are sure to have a great meal and
you just may see some celebrities or community leaders. Locals have been enjoying
this unique "seed to table" experience for nearly four years.
Café Hope has over 200 graduates and many successes stories. Ninety-seven percent of
its students graduate with a ServSafe certification and seventy-two percent of
graduates have been placed in good paying jobs. The Café Hope program and its
students need our help. They are reaching out to HCIA and the business community
for support. They also have The Cars for Hope Program that accepts donated cars for
repair by a group of dedicated volunteers. The cars are then available at a modest cost
to Café Hope students. Everyone is invited to come out and support their next
fundraiser, Local Food Festival, on Sunday, May 17 from 11AM to 5PM at Café Hope.
There will be over 20 local restaurants in attendance, music, a kid’s area and for the
first time a Car Show. Admission is FREE. All proceeds will support the Café Hope
mission to benefit its students.
Call Café Hope for more information on the program, catering services, or how you
can get involved at (504) 756-HOPE (4673).
Continued – Government & Environmental
This was a well-attended
meeting and we look
forward to having more
educational sessions like it
in the future.
We are putting together an
environmental education
program for members and
welcome your input as we
build these sessions.
Environmental Calendar,
please send me an email to
be added to G&E
Committee list.
If you are interested in
keeping up with the
Government &
Chair: Jesse Hoppes
[email protected]